ATHENS – The Trinity Valley Community College Ranch was the first of three stops Tuesday on the 51st Annual Henderson County Farm & Ranch Tour.

The ranch hosted four busloads of tour participants who got a glimpse of the 254-acre facility, of which 11 acres are used for rodeo purposes. The ranch is managed by TVCC instructors Marc Robinson and Brent Bratton, along with three students who live on the grounds.

“Our students get hands-on experience, which is something a lot of colleges and universities can’t offer,” said Robinson, who coaches the TVCC Show Team in addition to his teaching duties. “Just teaching out of a textbook doesn’t always get the job done.”

The ranch, home to a herd of Charolais cattle that TVCC has had since 1975, also includes crop science test plots, a forage program, facilities to learn about artificial insemination and a lab. Students also get practical experience in de-horning, de-worming and vaccinating cattle, and Robinson said they are planning to perform embryo transfer work in the fall.

Bratton, who is also TVCC’s rodeo coach, said his team – which averages about 20 students who compete in 10 rodeos per year – uses the ranch frequently. Bratton noted how the ranch provides a unique opportunity for students, saying, “Our students get hands-on experience and then take it back into the classroom and learn how to crunch the numbers and see what we’ve got.”

Henderson County Extension Agent Rich Hirsch told the crowd on hand that the TVCC Ranch is an important stop on the Farm & Ranch Tour, which aims to highlight the facilities that help fuel a $130 million agriculture industry in the county.

“TVCC offers a lot of good courses in agriculture and ranch management,” Hirsch said. “(This ranch) is not only a great resource for the college, but for Henderson County.”